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Sony A500 vs Sony A850

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64

Sony A500 vs Sony A850 Key Specs

Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Announced August 2009
  • Renewed by Sony A560
Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Boost to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Announced April 2010
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Sony A500 vs Sony A850 Overview

Below is a detailed analysis of the Sony A500 and Sony A850, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced DSLR and both of them are built by Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and A850 (25MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and A850 (Full frame) have different sensor sizing.

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The A500 was released 7 months prior to the A850 and they are both of a similar age. The two cameras feature different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a simple summary of how the A500 matches up against the A850 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony A850

 A500 A850 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony A500

 A850 A500 
AnnouncedApril 2010August 2009More recent by 7 months
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony A850

 A500 A850 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Sony A500 vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony A500 offers external dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) and the Sony A850 has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A500 and Sony A850 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the A500 vs the A850.

Sony A500 vs Sony A850 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A500 and A850 is 63 and 54 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony A850 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading specs. The graphic underneath will provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and A850.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A500 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A850 will offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 13MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older A500 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A500 vs Sony A850 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony A850 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A500
Portrait photography with Sony A850
63
focusing manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
72
focusing manually
fantastic MP (25 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography features
Sony A850 Street photography features
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A850 as a Sports photography camera
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery (520 per charge)
71
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
fantastic MP (25MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
environment sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
low frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography factors
Sony A850 Travel photography factors
43
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
low battery (520 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
55
environment sealing
fantastic MP (25 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse recording
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A500
Landscape photography with Sony A850
60
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
low battery (520 per charge)
lack of Timelapse function
73
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
fantastic MP (25MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
two card slots
no liveview feature
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A850 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
9
can't record video
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Sony A500 vs Sony A850 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony A850
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Category Entry-Level DSLR Advanced DSLR
Announced 2009-08-27 2010-04-15
Physical type Compact SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 25 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4272 x 2848 6048 x 4032
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 143 143
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 230k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 98 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Highest video resolution None None
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630 grams (1.39 pounds) 895 grams (1.97 pounds)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 64 79
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 12.2
DXO Low light score 772 1415
Other
Battery life 520 images 880 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Card slots Single Dual
Launch pricing $638 $0